The use of cellular phones and other types of mobile stations is becoming increasingly prevalent and popular in modern life. To provide cellular wireless communication service to such mobile stations (also often referred to as wireless communication devices, client devices, user equipment, subscriber devices, access terminals, and the like), a wireless service provider typically operates a radio access network (RAN) that defines coverage areas (such as cells and/or sectors) in which subscribers' mobile stations can be served by the RAN and obtain connectivity to other networks such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the Internet.
A typical RAN includes one or more base transceiver stations (BTSs), each of which may radiate to define one or more coverage areas in which these mobile stations can operate. Further, the RAN may include one or more base station controllers (BSCs) or the like, which may be integrated with or otherwise in communication with the BTSs, and which may include or be in communication with one or more switches and/or gateways that provide connectivity with one or more transport networks. Conveniently, with this arrangement, a mobile station positioned within the coverage of the RAN can communicate with a BTS and in turn with other served devices and/or with other entities via the one or more transport networks.
In each coverage area, a RAN will typically broadcast (via, e.g., a BTS) a pilot signal that notifies mobile stations of the coverage area. In operation, when a mobile station detects a pilot signal of sufficient strength, it may transmit a registration message to the RAN to notify the RAN that the mobile station is in the coverage area and is requesting service from the RAN via the BTS. If the request is granted, the mobile station may then operate in the coverage area in what is typically known as “idle” mode, where the mobile station is not actively engaged in a call or other traffic (e.g., packet-data) communication, but does regularly monitor overhead signals in the coverage area to obtain system information and page messages, as examples.